Features of the The Tivit that sends over-the-air TV signals to iPhones, BlackBerrys and laptops via WiFi. Can I watch TV on my iPhone? Get info at EZDigitalTV.com

Features of the The Tivit that sends over-the-air TV signals to iPhones, BlackBerrys and laptops via WiFi. Can I watch TV on my iPhone? Get info at EZDigitalTV.com

With a 3D movie (Avatar) in Oscar contention, new 3D TVs due out in March, and more and more 3D content available, it’s clear 3D is sparking lots of interest. But those TVs won’t be out until March, and they’ll be pricey at about $2,000. So you might want to get a jump on 3D with Acer’s 15.6-inch Aspire 5738DG-6165.

Coated with a special 3D film, the Acer doesn’t need a special 3D graphics card, but rather uses 3D coating on the display, along with software from TriDef, which converts content to 3D. The required polarizing glasses are included, as are a pair of clip-ons for those who already wear glasses.

We took a look at movies, photos, and games on the Acer. Several short videos and animated pieces are bundled with the computer, and those, predictably, produced eye-popping graphics. But you certainly wouldn’t buy a 3D laptop to watch a few shorts of crawling crabs and a cartoon of a pirate ship. So we popped the 3D version of Journey to the Center of the Earth (the 2008 version with Brendan Fraser) into the DVD drive, opened it using the TriDef software, and were underwhelmed. There were few 3D effects, and rare was the occasion when you felt some element of the movie was reaching out for you. The viewing angle for 3D was also very limited; you need to position the display head-on at a 120-degree angle for the best picture.

TriDef will also convert two-dimensional photographs to 3D pictures. It did so with mixed success. A picture of an owl looked fluffy and realistic; a photo of two people looked like it had been groomed into a mogul ski course.

Games should be where 3D computers shine. We loaded Call of Duty 4 and got ready for some exciting three-dimensional (read: realistic) action. And some of the graphics did look quite good in 3D. The problem was, the graphics you control—in this case your hand and the weapon in it—were flat and looked like a paper-doll cutout, a common trait with unsophisticated 3D graphics.

The good news is, you don’t need to buy special 3D versions of games, because the TriDef software does the converting. But do check the list provided on the TriDef Web site of compatible games.

Priced at about $800, the laptop costs as much as similarly configured, non-3D Acer Aspire models. (See our laptop Ratings for more.) It’s got an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of memory, and a 320GB hard drive. The speakers were decent, better than you’d expect on a laptop, but as is often the case, you’ll get better sound by adding your own external speakers. The keyboard is large and I found it easy to type on. It’s got a dedicated numbers pad, and the touchpad is also large with a dedicated area for scrolling up and down. My biggest complaint with the ergonomics is with the left/right click button (it’s all one piece), which wasn’t always as responsive as I’d like.

Most importantly, though, the 3D film on the display didn’t interfere with the look of the screen. I found the display to be bright and easy to look at.

It’s inevitable that 3D technology will improve over time. For now, however, I’d stick with a boring, but tried-and-true, two-dimensional computer.

—Donna Tapellini